You need proper equipment to participate in any form of skiing, especially as a beginner. Having properly fitted equipment enables you to concentrate on learning safety and technique, instead of wondering if your boot's going to fly off on the next turn. For downhill, cross country, and water skiing, get your equipment fitted by a professional, and take your time. Rent rather than buy for your first few attempts, so you can get used to the equipment, figure out if it really fits, and save money if you decide snow or water skiing isn't your chosen sport.
Downhill
Basic downhill, or alpine, skiing, requires a set of skis, boots, bindings, poles, proper clothing, and sunglasses or goggles. Sun protection, such as sunblock and lip balm, is recommended, and helmets are available. Boots need to be snug, but not so tight as to cut off circulation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend wearing boots that are about a half-size smaller than a well-fitting street shoe. Leonid Feldman, writing for website You Can Ski, notes that different brands of boots may be different even if labeled as the same size, and advises wearing the boots for at least 15 minutes before buying. Ski bindings connect your boots and skis, and these have small levers that act as brakes to prevent skis from sliding away if you release your boots from the bindings. Ski poles help you turn and walk uphill. REI advises, when you are in your boots, to hold the pole upside down with your hand just underneath the "basket," the attachment at the end. Your thumb should be just touching the basket, with your elbow forming a 90-degree angle.
Cross Country
The general equipment needed for downhill skiing applies to cross country skiing as well. The specifications are different, though --- calling for different types of boots, skis, and poles in particular. Cross country skiing is also called Nordic skiing, and occasionally XC ski by skiing organizations. Boots for cross country skiing stay loose at the heel instead of being fully strapped into a binding, and the style of boot will vary depending on your technique --- classic striding cross country requires different boots than the skating technique --- although the skating technique may be too advanced for beginners. The XC Ski World website writes that pole baskets should be smaller if you plan to ski on groomed trails. Cross country skis should allow you to ski without much drag.
Water
Water skiing requires skis --- the sport using one board is called wakeboarding. The skis have fins on the bottom for maneuverability, and the bindings attached to the skis latch onto your feet instead of a boot, although two types of bindings are called single-booted and double-booted. The edges of some styles of water skis are sharper in order to increase the sharpness of turns, but this sacrifices control, making the skis too much for a beginner to handle. Ropes, or towlines, are a bit elastic and usually about 70 feet long, not including the handle. Some state laws require that the skier wear a life jacket approved by the Coast Guard, and laws may vary depending on the age of the skier.
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